Bark removing machine



A. H. ONSTAD BARK REMOVING MACHINE Filed, Jan. 18, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet l llll fllberlfiOmlad MM ,4 W

y I, 1934. A. H. ONSTAD 1,956,653

BARK REMOVING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I 3mm 2 fi lberzfiOnszad min May 1, 1934.

wf/// m 3; 5I T 5 3M I mam/101151 04 Patented May l, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE Weyerhaeuser Timber Wash., a corporation of Washington Company, Tacom Application January 18, 1932, Serial No. 587,199

20' Claims.

My invention is concerned with the removal of bark, particularly from slabs or pieces of timber which are tobe ground into pulpfor paper making. Such pieces are generally of unequal or irregular thickness, possibly with the curve of the bark twisted somewhat, and with variations in curvature throughout, so that if it is attempted to remove the bark by ordinary fixed cutter heads, a large amount of the good pulp wood is likewise removed. The cost of hand removal prohibits the use of such slabs. Under either plan waste results.

It is an object of the present invention, then, to provide a machine which is adjustable as the timber is being run past a. cutter head whereby the cutter head may be varied in angle relative: to the direction of travel, and may be moved from any angular position towards and from the feed means and the timber supported and moved along thereon, thus to accommodate the cutter head to all irregularities in the surface of the timber and the bark, to remove the bark completely, and to leave as much as possible of the timber.

The bark of different trees and of different species of trees varies in thickness, and it is a further object to provide a machine employing a chip breaker in association with the cutter head, which chip breaker is adjustable towardsandfrom the work with relation to the surface being cut by the cutter head so that the cutter head may be permitted to remove a greater or lesser depth-of bark.

A further object is to devise a machine having the capabilities and characteristics indicated above, which shall, be simple in construction, rugged, and easily and quickly adjusted and controlled, to the end that such adjustment can be made while the timber is passing through the machine, and to permit feed through of the material at a good rate of speed.

Other objects, and more especially such as per--' tain more directly to the purely mechanical constructions of the invention, will be best understood from a study of the drawings, specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings my invention is shown embodied in machines takjl forms which are at present preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a transverse section through the machine frame, showing the machine in elevation and looking in the direction of feed of the timber.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the cutter head and its supporting disk in a different position.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through 1 and 2, the periphery Qf the disk is engaged by the machine shown operating upon "a timber, the construction being slightly modified, though preferred to the construction of the previous figures.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the machine and the controls therefor.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view similar to Figure 3 and illustrating a modified form of controls for the-chip breaker.

Essentiallymy device comprises a feed table or like means, generally indicated by the numeral 2, whereon is supported a' timber T bearing bark upon its upper surface'to be removed, and a cutter head 1 disposed above the feed table 2 andadjustable with respect thereto. By one such ad 'ju'stment the spacing between the cutter head and the feed table'is varied, and the approximate range of such adjustment is indicated in Figure 1, the full line position showing the greatest spacing and the dotted line position of the cutter head showing the minimum spacing. Another adjustment is the oscillation of the cutter head about an axis (not its axis of rotation, but one which is substantially perpendicular thereto) which is parallel to the direction of "movement. Since the cutter head is adjustable to vary the spacing betweenitself and the feed table, the angular adjustment of'the cutter head should be about any one of a seriesof lines above and parallel to the direction of movement.

These conditions can be fulfilled by journaling the cutter head in bearings 31 upon a ring or disk 3, and by mounting the disk upon a vertically movable carriage 4 for oscillation with respect to the carriage. Thus, as shown in Figures clips 43 which support and guide the disk for rotation, and which are carried upon the carriage 4, and the'carriage is supported in vertical guides 54' 'which arepart of a fixed frame 5. Figure 3 shows a .preferable mounting of the disk, by means of a pivot pin 44 projecting from the carriage 4. The cutter head may be rotated by electric motors 10 directly connected to the shaft 11 of the cutter head and supported upon the disk '3, and the disk is angularly adjustable by means such as the electric motor 30 driving a worm pinion 32 meshing with worm teeth 33 upon the periphery of the disk. The motor 30 is mounted upon the carriage 4. Movement of the carriage 4 in its guides 54 may be accomplished by connecting a piston rod 51 projecting from a hydraulic cylinder 50 to the carriage, as indicated at 52. Associated with the cutter head 1 is a chip breaker 6. Thischip breaker is suitably guided upon the disk 3, as indicated at 63 (see Figures no 3 and 5) for movement towards and from the feed table 2, that is, towards and from the surface left by the operation of the cutter head,

- Whatever the angular adjustment of the disk, and

, motor 60 which is carried upon the disk 3 or upon a bracket 36 supported thereon. As shown in Figure 5,.the position of the chip breaker 6 may be manually adjusted by means such as the eccentric 66 carried in the disk 3 and engaging within a slot 67 in the upper portion of the chip breaker, the position of the eccentric being controlled by a handle 68.

The feed table may take various forms, and the particular construction thereof is immaterial so far as is concerned the operation of the remainder of the device. It is convenient, however, to provide a series of pairs of toothed wheels 20 upon transverse shafts 21 journaled upon longitudinal frame members 55, these feed wheels 20 being suitably driven, for example, by chains 22 and 23, from a source of power, not shown. It will be noted that the main drive chain 22 is looped under the lowermost position of the carriage 4, as may be seen in Figure 3. the timbers, and to hold them down to the feed table, I may provide pressure rollers '7 supported upon arms 70 pivoted at 71, and driven by chains 72 and 73, these pressure rollers being held down by dashpots or pressure or spring cylinders, indicated in general at 74, and supported in the fixed frame.

The disk 3 is apertured, as is indicated at 39, to permit the passage therethrough of the largest timber for which the particular machine is designed, and to permit oscillation of the disk from one extreme position to another, such as is indicated by the full line and dotted line positions of Figure 2 respectively, Without engagement of the timber with the edge of the aperture or recess 39.

The timber from which the bark is to be removed is placed upon the feed table, the rollers 20 of which are rotating, and is fed through the aperture 39 under the pressure rollers '7 and under the cutter head 1. It is preferable that the chip breaker be previously adjusted for the thickness of bark of the timber to be operated upon, but such adjustment can be made while the timber is being run through, since it requires merely operation of the motor 60 in one direction or the other. As the timber approaches the cutter head, the disk 3 is oscillated to the proper angle to correspond to the location of the bark upon the timber, and the carriage 4 is moved to a level such that the cutter head, when it engages the timber, will remove all of the bark, but as little aspossible of the wood.

As the timber continues through the bark-removing machine, the angle of the cutter heads axis may be varied, and the elevation of the carriage may likewise be varied by suitable controls for their respective power sources, and thus as the timber continues through, the cutter head follows its contour closely, removing all the bark, but removing very little of the pulp wood. Thus there can be used for pulp, without the expenditure of considerable labor in removing the bark, slabs which have been cut in sawmills from large logs, cants which for one reason or another are not to be used for lumber;-- and irregularly shaped pieces that otherwise might be wasted.

The shape of the timber from which the bark To assist in feeding is to be removed is immaterial, for, as may be seen in Figure 1, a triangular or sector shaped nected to the main frame or to the members 52,

as indicated at 81, is provided to engage one side of the timber and to retain it in place upon the feed table.

The control means for such a machine will be more or less obvious, and I have only illustrated them in a diagrammatic way in Figure 4. This figure does not illustrate the conventional control means for the hydraulic cylinder 50 controlling the elevation of the carriage d, but illustrates leadslQ running through a switch 18 from the supply main by which the motors 10 driving the cutter head are kept in'continuous rotation, and reversing switches 39 and 69 respectively in the circuits controlling the motors 30 and 60 respectively. By proper manipulation of these switches the angle of the cutter'head 1 and the spacing of the edge of the chip breaker from the bottom of the cut of the cutter head can be regulated at will and as the work progresses, and the elevation of the cutter head is controlled by the usual control valve or valves of a cylinder such as 50.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head disposed transversely above the feed means, a support therefor straddling the feed means and independent thereof, means to adjust the spacing between the cutter head and the feed means,

and means to adjust the axis of rotation of the cutter head, at any spacing of the cutter head from the feed. means, angularly about a line through substantially the mid-point of the cutter head and parallel to the direction of feed.

2. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head, disposed transversely above the feed means, a support therefor straddling the feed means and independent thereof, means to adjust the axis of rotation of the cutter head angularly about lines through substantially the mid-point of the cutter head parallel to the direction of feed, means to adjust the spacing between the cutter head and the feed means, and a chip breaker associated and angularly adjustable with the cutter head.

3. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head, disposed transversely above the feed means, a support therefor straddling the feed means and independent'thereof, means to adjust the axis of rotation of the cutter head angularly about lines through substantially the mid-point of the cutter head and parallel to the direction of feed, means to adjust the spacing between the cutter head and the feed means, a chip breaker associated and angularly adjustable with the cutter head, and means independent of the cutter head to additionally adjust the spacing between the chip breaker and the feed means.

4. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with fixedly-positioned means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rot'atingcutter head means straddling the feed means supporting the cutter head above the feed means, in the path of a timber thereon, means to adjust the cutter head support and the cutter head angularly about axes through substantially the mid-point of the cutter head and parallel to the direction of feed, and means to adjust the cutter head towards and from the feed means.

5. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with fixedly-positioned means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head, means straddling the feed means supporting the cutter head above the feed means, in the path of a timber thereon, means to adjustthe cutter head support and the cutter head towards and from the feed means, and means to adjust the cutter head angularly, in any position attained by the aforementioned adjustment, about axes through substantially the mid-point of the cutter head which are parallel to the direction of feed.

6. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with a means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head, means straddling the feed'means supporting the cutter head above the feed means, in the path of a timber supported thereon, and means to adjust the cutter head support and the cutter head carried thereby both towards and from the feed means and angularly about axes through the mid-point of the cutter head and parallel to the direction of feed.

'7. In a bark-removing machine, in combination, a feed table adapted to support and feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head, a disk having a recess curved substantially complementally to such bark surface, the feed table extending through such recess, and the cutter head being projected slightly within such recess and being of curvature substantially corresponding thereto,

journal means upon the disk above the recess for supporting the cutter head upon an axis transverse to the direction of feed, a vertically movable carriage, disposed transversely of the feed table, the disk being supported upon and adjustable angularly relative to said carriage, and means to adjust said carriage and said disk towards and from said feed table.

8. In a bark-removing machine, in combination, a feed table adapted to support and feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head, a recessed disk, the feed table extending through such recess, journal means upon the disk above the recess for supporting the cutter head upon an axis trans'- verse to the direction of feed, a vertically movablecarriage, disposed transversely of the feed table, the disk being supported upon and adjustable angularly relative to said carriage, means to adjust said carriage and said disk at will, a chip breaker operatively associated with the cutter head and adjustably supported upon the disk, and means to adjust the chip breaker relative to the disk, independently of the other adjustments and towards and from the feed table.

9. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon "its upper surface, a rotating cutter head disposed transversely above the feed means, supporting means straddling the feed means and independent thereof, and a disk received therein and supporting said cutter head for rotation and adjustable angularly about a line normal to the axis of and extending through the direction of feed.

10. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head disposed transversely above the feed means, supporting means straddling the feed means and independent thereof, a disk received therein and supporting said cutter head for rotation and adjustable angularly about a line normal to the axis of the cutter head through its mid-point and parallel to the direction of feed, and means independent of the feed means to adjust said disk and the cutter head towards and from the feed means.

11. In a bark-removing machine, the combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head disposed transversely above the feed means, supporting means straddling -the feed means and independent thereof, a transverse disk received therein upon which the cutter head the mid-point of the cutter head and parallel to :5.

is journaled, means to adjust the disk angularly about a line which intersects the cutter head axis at right angles, midway between the ends of the cutter head, and which is parallel to the direction of feed.

12. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head disposed transversely above the feed means, a transverse disk upon which the cutter head is journaled, means to adjust the disk an gularly about a line which intersects the cutter head axis at right angles, midway between the ends of the cutter head, and which is parallel to the direction of feed, and means to adjust the disk and cutter head towards and from the feed means. 13. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutter head disposed tranversely above the feed means, a transverse disk upon which the cutter head is journaled, means to adjust the disk angularly about a line which intersects the cutter head axis at right angles, midway between the ends of the cutter head, and which is parallel to the direction of feed, a chip breaker associated with the cutter head and supported upon the disk for angular adjustment therewith, and means for adjusting said chip breaker relative to the cutter head along a line normal to the axis of adjustment of the disk.

. 14. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with means to feed lengthwise a timber having bark upon its upper surface, a rotating cutmeans, a transverse diskupon which the cutter head is journaled, means to adjust the disk angularly about a line which intersects the cutter head axis at right angles, midway between the ends of the cutter head, and which is parallel to the direction of feed, a chip breaker associated with the cutter head and supported upon the disk for angular adjustment therewith, means for adjusting said chip breaker relative to the cutter head along a line normal to the axis of adjustment of the disk, and means to adjust the disk and associated parts vertically towards and from the feed means.

15. A machine to remove bark from a timber comprising, in combination, means to advance the timbers lengthwise, a cutter head rotatable about an axis transverse to the direction of movement of the timber, and means supporting the cutter head for adjustment about an axis between its ends, and parallel to the directionof movement of the timber, and a chip breaker supported for adjustment with the cutter head,

' and itself adjustable relative to the cutter head towards and from the work, thereby to vary the depth of cut.

17. In a bark-removing machine, in combination with a timber-supporting means and a rotating'cutter head disposed transversely of and spaced above said means, means to produce relative movement of the supporting means and -j ..cutter head in a direction lengthwise of the timber, means to adjust the spacing between the cutter head and supporting means, and means to adjust the axis of rotation of the cutter head,

at any spacing of the cutter head from the supporting means, angularly about a line through substantially the midpoint of the cutter head and parallel to the length of the timber.

18. A machine to remove bark from a timber cofmprising, in combination, a cutter head rotatable about an axis which is angularly adjustable in a plane transverse to the length of the timber, a rotatable timber-advancing means, its axis of rotation being disposed horizontally and transversely to the length of the timber, and means supporting said cutter head for movement toward and from the timber with its midpoint lying in a single, predetermined reference plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said timber-advancing means, for all angularly adjusted positions of the cutterhead.

,19. A machine to remove bark from a timber comprising, in combination, a cutter head angularly adjustable in a plane transverse to the length of the timber, and guide means to guide said cutter head for adjustment towards and from the timber with its midpoint, for all angularly adjusted positions thereof, disposed in a single, predetermined reference plane perpendicular to the plane of angular adjustment.

20. A machine to remove bark from a timber comprising, in combination, a cutter head rotatable about an axis transverse to the length of the timber, said cutter head being adjustable angularly and towards and from the timber in a plane normal thereto, and means to maintain said cutter head, for all adjusted positions thereof, with its mid-point disposed in a single, fixed, vertical, reference line.

ALBERT H. ONSTAD. 

